On behalf of Horry County Schools and the Horry County Board of Education, it is a privilege to present our 2020-2021 State Report Card, a collective summary of progress in upholding our commitment that all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. While it would be easy to focus on the many challenges we faced during this unexpected health crisis, let us not overlook the positives and the many things we accomplished.

This report card includes information about student performance, but numbers alone do not speak to the energy and creative efforts contributing to that performance. District staff, school administrators, and teachers came together in extraordinary measures to ensure HCS students had access to effective instruction in a new distance learning environment.  Even amid a pandemic, HCS remained committed to looking continuously for ways to improve the K-12 educational experience. We celebrate the many accomplishments and achievements that validate our students' talents and the professional commitment of our staff.

For the first time, a full-time K-12 Virtual option was available for students due to the pandemic.  The Full-Time HCS K-12 Virtual Model allowed students to enroll and participate in a full-time virtual program. At the beginning of the school year, over 10,000 students chose this option and remained enrolled at their base schools but did not attend classes on the school campus. Designated teachers from across the District provided instruction and assignments through a district-supported learning management system and communicated through video conferencing and other digital communication tools.

There were many honors and awards received during the year that paid tribute to the District, our schools, our students, and our staff. Topping the list, Ocean Drive Elementary School was one of six schools in the state to receive the National Blue Ribbon School award, the highest honor a school can receive from the U.S. Department of Education.  Horry County Schools was ranked #2 in South Carolina as one of America's best employers by Forbes. U.S. News & World Report released its annual Best High Schools rankings for 2020, showing St. James High School among the top 10 high schools in South Carolina. Carolina Forest High School was recognized as a 2020-21 Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Distinguished High School. It is one of just 204 high schools across the U.S. and one of four in the state of South Carolina to receive this honor for providing broad access to transformative learning opportunities for students through PLTW Launch.

SAT results released for the senior class of 2020 show that Horry County Schools (HCS) continues to outpace the national average. The District's composite score was 1033, three points above the national composite score of 1030 and 14 points higher than the state composite score of 1019.

ACT results for 2020 decreased by one point for a composite of 18.0, down from 19.0 in 2019. HCS has experienced a sharp decrease in the number of students opting to take the ACT and a steady increase in those choosing to take the SAT. The number of test-takers decreased by 160 students to 1836 from 1996 test-takers in 2019.

HCS students increased their overall pass rate to 69.7 percent on Advanced Placement exams in 2020, outpacing the state average of 62.2 percent. HCS also had a slight decrease of 3 percent in the number of students taking AP classes and a 3.8 percent reduction in AP exams taken.

The District's on-time graduation rate increased slightly in 2020, up to 83.5 compared to 83.4 in 2019. Of the 72 percent of graduates (2,745) who indicated they were advancing to higher education, 62 percent met eligibility requirements for S.C. Education Lottery scholarships. Considering all scholarship sources, graduates earned $70 million. They completed 3,773 dual credit courses, providing a jump-start toward a college degree, qualifying for college credits valued at $5.8 million.

Eight graduates were named National Merit Finalists. Gavin P. Fling, Scholars Academy, and Conway High School; Evan M. Ewing, St. James High School; Elizabeth M. Goodroe, Academy for the Arts, Science, and Technology and Myrtle Beach High School; Benson J. Case, Alexandra Doyle, Clyve Lawrence, and Anthony D. Mastroberti, Scholars Academy and Carolina Forest High School; and Allen A. Meese, Scholars Academy and Socastee High School.

For the third consecutive year, HCS was honored nationally this year when named among the 2021 Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association for Music Merchants. This award recognizes the District's systemic commitment to music education.

HCS had three state champions in track and field. Jaquan Jackson from Loris High School won the Class 3A championship in the 110-meter hurdles. Chandler McCall from North Myrtle Beach High School won the Class 4A championship in the javelin throw, and Tariq Hills from Socastee High School won the Class 5A championship in the 400-meter run. Also, Carolina Forest High School's Harrison Clinton claimed two state titles (100 Yard Breaststroke and 100 Yard Butterfly) in Class 5A boys' swimming during the 2020-21 State Swim Championships.

The 2020-2021 school year was a successful year with many accomplishments. We continue to experience stable enrollment and improve in performance measures. We continue to look for innovative ways to inspire new possibilities within our students. Most importantly, we will always uphold great reverence for the sacred trust our parents and community have placed in us to prepare a new generation for college, careers, and citizenship.

Rick Maxey, Ph.D., Superintendent

Ken Richardson, Chairman of the Horry County Board of Education